


Young and Beautiful

by thatluckyrabbit



Category: Casper (1995)
Genre: AU, Age Difference, Comfort, Established Relationship, Future Fic, Growing Old, Human/Ghost relationship, M/M, Older Man/Younger Man, Song Based, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-04
Updated: 2013-08-04
Packaged: 2017-12-22 10:24:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/912095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatluckyrabbit/pseuds/thatluckyrabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Age ain't nothin' but a number, sweetheart."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Young and Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> Yay for random inspiration that comes waaaaaay to early in the morning! XD 
> 
> I fucking LOVE this song, and FINALLY found a pairing it perfectly fits for X3 I personally believe that, whoever Stretch ends up with (most likely a fleshie), he'd stay by their side 24/7 while they lay old and dying in a hospital bed. To a ghost, being with someone who is now grown old (but who was once young)... there's no problem to it. Because Stretch, in a way, is old, but he's an old soul that never physically grew old. I don't know. XD And yes, they are married in this. But not officially... after being together for so long (since ghosts can't get legally married, obviously XD) they started to call each other husbands. I'd think that Stretch would have at least proposed, but not much could be done in terms of legal marriage.
> 
> Again, I don't know. *shrug* XD Just enjoy.

 

 

 

 

_"Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?_

_Will you still love me when I've got nothing but my aching soul?_

_I know you will_

_I know you will_

_I know that you will..."_

**  
— "Young and Beautiful", Lana Del Rey**

* * *

 

_"Will you still love me, Stretch? Even when I'm old?"_

_The phantom lying beside him turns to face him, scoffing in disbelief, almost in shock that he could even ask him such a thing. "Of course, Doc."_

_"Really?" James found it hard to believe, much to his own chagrin. "Even when my hair is grey and my face is covered in wrinkles?"_

_"Of course," Stretch repeats, tone softer this time in order to ease James' doubts and fears for the future. "When you're dead like me, age ain't nothin' but a number."_

_That much he knows for sure._

* * *

 

It was a question that he refrained from asking for such a long time... and it came out at the most unexpected of times.

"...I'm surprised you haven't left me yet."

His voice was weak and frail now, so unlike the smooth and silky way it used to flow from his mouth when he spoke in his usual calm and soothing tone. What once used to be a lovely shade of dirty blonde hair had now completely transformed into an almost silver color. The years of stress that came with his job as a psychologist (to the dead, nonetheless) certainly took a toll on his face, adding lines in places that Stretch himself would never have on his own.

Stretch McFadden would always be eternally youthful. James on the other hand... that time had long since passed.

But it didn't matter to Stretch. The wrinkles, the withering, greying hair and the hoarse voice... none of that mattered at all. When Stretch looked at him with his violet eyes, he still saw that young, handsome therapist that had appeared at Whipstaff almost out of the blue all those years ago. James was still the same dorky, calm and rational man he had been before.

Except weaker. And _that_ was what Stretch didn't like.

When James caught even a simple cold, it became a waiting game for Stretch to see if his human would gradually get better or worse. When James forced himself out of the bed those last few times he was still able to stand on his own, Stretch would catch him immediately if he stumbled. Which had been many times.

_"...I'm surprised you haven't left me yet."_

It came out in an almost joking manner, but James' light brown eyes reflected the hurt he truly felt when he spoke those words.

Stretch, ghost or not, was James' main source of comfort and familiarity during what he knew was his last few years. There was Kat, his beloved daughter, but even she couldn't be by his bedside 24/7. She had her own life in Friendship, along with a hard job that required her (almost hourly) attention. Either way, it never stopped her from visiting as much she she could. 

No one, James knew, could by beside him all day and night. Not the doctors or nurses or anyone.

No one except for Stretch.

Stretch didn't even live at Whipstaff anymore. He knew that James, at his age, could die at any given moment. And he didn't want him to be alone when it happened. Stinkie and Fatso came to visit as often as they could, and more than once did they try to pry Stretch away for his sake. But as stubborn as their older brother was, he refused to leave James' bedside. He just couldn't leave him, even if he wanted to. And even Stretch had to admit: old age always came with new aches and pains and illnesses, and it always killed him to see what all that was doing to James physically. There were times where Stretch wished he could leave, so in some selfish way he didn't have to watch his husband suffer as he practically withered away to nothing.

But that was why Stretch always put on a tough front, to be strong for himself and for James. So the urge to even leave for an hour or two could die down.

He took one of James' wrinkly, liver-spotted hands into his own transparent one, giving a small, reassuring smile as he did so. "Age ain't nothin' but a number, sweetheart." He gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

James gave a small smile back. Feeling reassured, he breathed in deeply, as much as his weak lungs would allow, eyelids growing heavy and gradually falling shut.

"I'll still be here when you wake up," he heard Stretch murmur softly.

Whether he'd even wake up the next morning or not, James Harvey was very much comforted by his words as he drifted off into a deep slumber. Wherever he'd wake up, whether it be this life or  the next, he knew Stretch would be right there with him.

 

_"Will you still love me, Stretch?"_

**I know that you will.**

 


End file.
